Haemophilia Patients: Recombinant Clotting Factor Treatment

Lord Morris of Manchester asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answers by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 5 and 12 February on the provision of recombinant clotting factors (WA 92 and WA 13), when they expect to announce the outcome of the consideration they are currently giving to making this treatment available to all adult haemophilia patients in England; and how their estimate of the cost at £50 million is computed. [HL767]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath): To meet the needs of all haemophilia patients in England currently on plasma derived clotting factors, we estimate that 110 million units of recombinant Factor 8 would be needed at an additional cost of 30.7p per unit and 31.5 million units of recombinant Factor 9 at an additional cost of 42p per unit. This gives a total cost of £47 million for recombinant products currently in production. Costs for third generation, totally synthetic products, are likely to be higher. The calculation is based on data collected from haemophilia centres by the United Kingdom

The Government are continuing to give careful consideration to this issue.

Children's Commissioners

Lord Harrison asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will approve the establishment of independent Children's Commissioners in areas of the United Kingdom in addition to Wales to help protect and promote the welfare of all children. [HL772]

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The establishment of independent children's rights commissioners in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales is a matter for those devolved administrations. Through the Care Standards Act 2000, we have created the role of Children's Rights Director which is targeted at meeting the needs of those children in greatest need of additional safeguards. With regard to a commissioner for all children in England, we will of course carefully consider the Welsh experience to see if there are lessons which we can learn in England that would help to protect and promote the welfare of all children.

EU Sixth Environment Action Programme

Lord Judd asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is their policy towards Environment 2010: Our Future, Our Choice, the sixth Environment Action Programme for the European Community as recently published by the European Commission; and what action they will be taking towards its implementation. [HL780]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Lord Whitty): The Government broadly welcome the European Commission's proposal for a sixth Environment Action Programme, which will set out the European Union's environmental priorities for the next 10 years. We particularly welcome its emphasis on an improved, evidence-based policy process, effective implementation and enforcement, consultation and willingness to consider alternatives to legislation. We are, though, still considering our position on the detail of the proposal.

The programme will not have direct regulatory impact and will not require transposition into UK law. Once it has been adopted under the Co-decision procedure by the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament, it will fall to the European Commission to bring forward proposals to the Council and European Parliament to implement the objectives set out in the programme.

27 Feb 2001 : Column WA125

Police Recruits: Wastage

Lord Tebbit asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is the current rate of wastage amongst recruits into the police service.[HL729]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Bassam of Brighton): The information requested is not collected centrally in England and Wales. The numbers of police officers recruited,
and overall wastage for police officers, in England and Wales for the six months ending September 2000 were 3,271 and 2,884 respectively. This figure for wastage includes retirements, resignations, dismissals, deaths and transfers to police forces outside England and Wales.

The percentage wastage rate for the year 1999 to 2000 was 3.7 per cent, which, compared to other organisations, is very low. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development's 2000 labour turnover survey reported a wastage rate of 18.3 per cent for all employees in 1999.

In the year ending March 2000, there were 437 police recruits in Scotland, and 24 officers left during their probationary period, either by voluntary resignation or discharge.

In Northern Ireland, there were 924 recruits between 9 April 1995 and 2 April 2000, and eight of these resigned voluntarily during their probation period.

Job Advertisements for Senior Officials

Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:

What was the cost of the job advertisements for (a) a Chief Inspector of the National Probation Service for England and Wales; (b) HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales; and (c) a Chaplain General of HM Prison Service, which appeared in The Times of 15 February; and why public sector appointment advertisements are not evenly distributed between the major daily newspapers.[HL841]

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The costs of the job advertisements for Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of the National Probation Service for England and Wales and Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales was £16,936 for each post, in total a figure of £39,799 including VAT. The cost of the advertisement for the Chaplain General was £9,202 including VAT.

In filling public sector appointments, we want to ensure that as best we can we attract the right person for the job. As with many jobs, particular and quite specialist skills may be sought of prospective applicants, and we will often consult with a professional recruitment service on where advertisements would best be placed. With this in mind, it would not be practical to limit ourselves to a regular media circle in which to insert advertisements.

27 Feb 2001 : Column WA126

Tribunals: Publicly Funded Representation

Baroness Uddin asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they have any plans to extend public funding for proceedings before the VAT and Duties Tribunal, the General and Special Commissioners of Income Tax and the Protection of Children Act Tribunal.[HL954]

The Lord Chancellor (Lord Irvine of Lairg): I have today issued for consultation a direction which extends publicly funded representation to some tribunals: certain proceedings before the VAT and Duties Tribunal, certain proceedings before the General and Special Commissioners of Income Tax and all proceedings before the Protection of Children Act Tribunal.

The direction will authorise the Legal Services Commission to fund legal help and legal representation in these proceedings, subject to applications passing the statutory tests of an applicant's means and the merits of the case.

The Commission will be able to fund representation in proceedings before the VAT and Duties Tribunal and the General and Special Commissioners of Income Tax in the minority of those proceedings which concern the imposition of penalties which may be considered criminal in ECHR terms. This will ensure that the Government's commitments under Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights are met in full.

Although the Protection of Children Act Tribunal does not impose financial penalties, I consider that the overwhelming importance of the proceedings to the individuals involved means that legal representation should be provided at public expense to those who cannot afford it.

The consultation period will last one month. I intend to bring in the new arrangements with effect from 2nd April 2001. Copies of the direction have been placed in the Library of the House.

Devolution Guidance Notes

Lord Davies of Coity asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether further and revised guidance has been offered to government departments on issues relating to devolution.[HL955]

The Lord Chancellor: I have today placed in the Library of the House two further Devolution Guidance Notes which have recently been completed. DGN5--The Role of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Post-Devolution and DGN9--Post-Devolution Primary Legislation Affecting Wales. These guidance notes will be made available on the Cabinet Office Internet site at www.cabinet-office.gov.uk.

27 Feb 2001 : Column WA127

National Missile Defence System

Lord Judd asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is their assessment of the arms control implications, including those for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and the Non-Proliferation Treaty, of any micro-nuke interception element in a National Missile Defence System; and what they believe would be the impact of such an element on the defence and arms control policy of China.[HL826]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Scotland of Asthal): We know of no proposals to use nuclear-armed interceptors as part of a National Missile Defence System.

Subsidiarity and Repatriation of Powers

Lord Pearson of Rannoch asked Her Majesty's Government:

What competences have been returned to member states by the European Union since the principle of subsidiarity was introduced.[HL804]

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Subsidiarity is not about the repatriation of powers to Member States. Rather, it is about ensuring that where the Treaty already allows for action at both EU and member state level, the most appropriate level is chosen each time action is required.